Grain-car.



J. M. COLEMAN.

GRAIN OAR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1910.

' Patented July 18, 1911.

luvENT [31 1 EIAMEE M CULEMAN.

for preventing l GRAIN -CAR.

Application fired June so, 1910.

Patented July 18, 1911. Serial No. 569,664.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JA'rrns'M. COLEMAN, oi the city of Montreal, in the Province of (Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improveanents in Grain-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

, This invention relates to improvements in convertible cars, and the object is to provide a car which may be used in one form as a hat floored carfor carrying miscellaneous i'freight, and may be quickly and easily converted into a hopper bottom car for carryiug grain, coal or the like.

A further object is to provide a hopper bottom car which be quickly and easily dumped into a small area, such the chutes I o a grain elevator. g

A 'sti ll further object is to eakage of car during transit.

To accomplish these objects, I provide a car having the floor thereof formed in, sections, cotiering permanent hoppers. When the car is used as a general purpose freight 'a1',t'he floor remains level, but when used as a grain or coal car, the floor sections over the hoppers are raised to form the car into a hopper bottom car. The floor comprises two central sections divided longitudinally oi the car and adapted to be raised at the provided with a roof 9 and The body is mounted on longitudinal center sills 11. At each end of the ar, the portion .12 of floor over the truck is stationary. The floor in the center of the car is formed of a pair of doors 13 which divide longitudinally at the center and are hinged at the sides of the car. I These doors 13 extend well beyond the sides of the doorways and are supported at their ends on the transverse cross bearers 14. The floor at each end of the doors 13, between said doors and the sta-' tionary floor 12, is formed in a single intermediate section 15 extending the full width of the car. These intermediate sections 15 are supported at their inner ends on the same cross bearer 1.4 which supports the ends of the doors, and aresupported at their outer ends on other transoms 16, which latter transom the stationary floor sections 12.

elow the floor a plurality of stationary hoppers 17 are located on each side of the center sills.' These hoppers are. each composed ofplates 18 sloping downwardly between the transoms. The inner sides of the hoppers are formed by the webs of the center sills and the outer sides are formed by plates 19 sloping downwardly from the sides of the car toward the center sills. At the bottom of each pair-of hoppers, the adjacent plates doorways 1,0.

provide means grain from the sides to cover the doorways. An intermedi- 18 forming the same are apertured at 20 to ate section at each end of the central secf rm the mouth of the hopper.

tions is adapted to be raised the car to form continuations of the hopper bottoms and a stationary section at each end of the car over the trucks. A suitable jainb plate is provided at the mouth of each hopper. A slidable door is arranged to open or Close the hopper mouth and is adapted to fit into and e wedged against thejamb plate in closing to prevent any grain leakage during transit,

In the drawings which illustrate Iny inveution:---Figurc 1 is a half vertical longitudinal section of a. car equipped with me at the ends of The mouth 20 of the hopper is preferably rectangular as shown, and is provided on three sides with a jamb edge 22 of the plate 18 formin on the top or fourth side. A or cover 23 is provided for tlr his door is located externally of the hopper and turned portid g the jamb sliding door 11 24 adapted to overlap the edge 22 of the plate 18. The door is mount? ed on tapered runners 25 attached to the door with the small end at the lower edge unners 25 travel on rails gate. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view on the line so fixed one to the center'sill web and the 4- 5 of Fig. showing the gate in detall. other to the side plate 19 of the hopper, said h g1". 3 is a tragmentary vertical cross secrails diverging slightly from the plate 18 tiou on the hue G of Fig. 2. toward the upper end. The ianib plate 21 T tl-l Y id 11"" Q'l 't 'hl in u a J0\6 (.Lllltt iguics, tcsmna cs on t e owcl edge 01 the door is doubled the box or bodv ot a car which is preferably over to form arecess for the lower edge of the door. as shown at 27. shaft" 28 passes transversely under the car and is provided on eachside of the center sill with a lever made with the boards placed longitudinally inside the framework so as to present a per- .tectly smooth interior surface. This body is s also support the inner ends of is provided at the top with an in-f 21, thedownt-urned e the mouth.

29. A link 3(Lis pivoted at one end to the free end of the' lever and at the other end to a. bracket. 31 fixed to the door. The ends of the shafts may be squared to receive a suitable operating lever or wheel.

In operation'as a grain car, the two floor doors 13 are raised to "form an inner covering for the doorways 1.0. and the intermediate floor sections 15 are disposed as shown in Fig. 1, so that there isno level door on which the grain will lodge. The car is filled in the usual way and despatched to its destination. To empty the car, the operator rotates the shafts 28 to shift the levers 27 and raise the doors on each side of the center sill, the door runnerssliding on the rails 26 so that the door in rising also recedes fronrthe jamb plate, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the car is empty. or suflicient grain has escaped. the shaft 28 is rotated in-the reverse direction so that the door' returns to its original position and is wedged against. the jaml) 'plate by the tapered runners. The lower edge of the door enters the recess at 27, so that any leakage of grain is absolutely prevented. It will be readily seen from Fig. 2 that the door in closing will: slide over the jamh. thus displacing any grain that would tend to obstruct thei'closin r. or block the door open suilicientl-y to allow grain to leak out. It will also be seen that, whether in opening or closing, the door moves ed rrewise through the grain sothat practically no resistance 'is offered to the movement. The doors may.

obviously, be operated in any combination desired. and by any suitable mechanism other than that disclosed. without de 'iarting from the spirit of the invention.

Havingthus described my invention, what.

I claim is:

-;1. In a car of the. class described, a plu rality of hoppers located on each side of the center sill. a sliding door outside each hopper," a track for said door, means for reciprocating the door, and wedge shaped runners on the door engaging the track adapted to force the door into close contact with the hoppers.

2. In a car of the class described, a plurality of hoppers located on each side of the center sill, a sliding door at the bottom of each hopper, a track for said door, wedge shaped runners on the door engaging the track, and means for simultaneously raising said door and withdrawing the same from the hopper.

3. In a car of the class described, a plurality of hoppers having apertured ends, sliding doors adapted to close. said end apertures, door jambs surrounding the end apertures, door runners angularly disposeth to the door janilos, wedge shaped runners for the doors engaging said tracks for forcinp the doors tightly against said jambs, and means for raising and lowering said doors.

4. In a car of the class described, a plurality of hoppers having apertured ends, sliding doors adapted to close said end apertures. tracks for said doors. wedge shaped runners on the doors engaging the tracks, transverse shafts, levers connected to said shafts, and links connecting the levers and doors.

5. In a. car of the class described. a plurality of hoppers having end and bottom plates, said end plates being apertnred to form hopper mouths and having outwardly turned flanges at the tops of said apertures, sliding doors adapted to close said apertures having: inwardly turned flanges adapted to engage the end plate flanges, reeessed'jamh plates adapted to receive the door edges at. the bottoms of said apertures. tracks for said doors, wedge shaped runners on the doors engaging the tracks, transverse shafts, levers connected to said shafts. and links connecting the lovers and doors.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

J AMES M. COl'JEMAN.

Vtitnesscs:

S'rmn'r R. W. ALLEN, .E. R. MCKENZIE. 

